PubliCalendar: Packing Seeds, Waterfront Week, and Labor Unions

Today's picks for civic nerds.

Lettuce Link, an organization that works to make sustainable, healthy food available to those who need it most, is having a seed packing party. They buy seeds in bulk and repack them into individual packets to give to low-income gardeners, food banks, meal programs, and others who can't afford fresh produce.

Take a couple of hours to pack seeds, meet other volunteers, and bring food to King County Residents.

The Seattle Department of Transportation is hosting a waterfront week in early March. Check out the latest waterfront designs; explore an exhibit of architecture, art, and design from across the world; or just bring the kids for a family day at Hillclimb Plaza.

From the Advance Notice files: "You cannot understand what's been happening in terms of inequality in this country without accounting for the dramatic decline of organized labor," said Jake Rosenfeld recently on MSNBC 's The Cycle.

This is the thesis of the new book, What Unions No Longer Do, by Rosenfeld, a UW associate professor of sociology. When unions were strong in America, he argues, they reduced inequality across the board—unions worked for their members to have better wages, and employers of non-union workers kept wages high to keep their employees from unionizing. Unions reduced political and racial inequality and helped workers to reach the middle class, and without them Americans are struggling.

Solid Ground is celebrating 40 years of fighting poverty and racism in Seattle with an anniversary luncheon and the conversation is bound to be fascinating.

Spike Lee, director and writer of Do the Right Thing and Malcolm X, will be the luncheon's keynote speaker. Lee's films often explore race and the effects of racism on our society, and he openly discusses the discrimination that occurs in Hollywood and the media. Register today to nab a seat.

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